In an interview for DirecTV in Uruguay, Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez did not hold back on Uruguay’s national team manager Marcelo Bielsa. La Celeste’s all-time leading goal scorer made harsh accusations about the Argentine manager, from not saying hello to the players to forcing longtime staff members to avoid contact with the first team.
To make matters worse, the press in Uruguay seems to have sided with Suarez, with some demanding Bielsa be fired from his position. In the last few months, even prior to the Copa América, many longtime Uruguay staff members were let go by Bielsa. This has not sat well with the establishment, who have criticized the manager for this and the treatment of national team heroes Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
Leaving no stone unturned, Suarez admitted that he tried to talk to the manager about the situation, but Bielsa simply told the Uruguay legend, “thank you.” Since the bombshell, no other player currently on the squad has come forward, nor has the AUF (Uruguayan Soccer Federation) said anything on the matter. Bielsa does not speak to the press outside of a press conference environment, and it is unclear if he will hold a press conference to address these issues.
What did Luis Suarez say about Marcelo Bielsa?
Issues during the Copa América 2024
“During the Copa América, there were situations that hurt me, which I didn’t speak about for the sake of maintaining harmony (within the group).”
At one point during the tournament, Agustín Canobbio was “removed” from the first team—“I support Canobbio in what happened. Bielsa made him do exercises with the players who were there as sparring partners for several days. That’s a complete lack of respect.”
“A lot of players held a meeting to ask the coach to at least greet us with a good morning because he wouldn’t even say hello.”
“Bielsa holds a press conference and says wonderful things about the people, yet there was one day in New York when he asked us not to stop and greet the fans. I stood up and told him we were going to greet the fans regardless.”
“I had a five-minute conversation with Bielsa as a team leader, and when we finished, he just replied, ‘thank you very much.’”
Issues with staff in Uruguay’s national team complex
“At the Celeste Complex, the staff aren’t allowed to come in, greet us, or eat with us. They even have to be careful which door they use to enter. It breaks my heart that this is how things are today at the Complex.”
(Context: During the era of Óscar Tabárez, the complex was a family atmosphere, where the players were obligated to say hi to staff members, and where staff members even had direct input on certain issues. Since the arrival of Bielsa, that has stopped.)
Matías Vecino’s retirement from the national team
“Matías Vecino was the first to see it coming. No one questions why a guy like Vecino, at 30 years old, suddenly left from one day to the next?”
“In the future, I ask the fans not to blame the players if things go wrong. Bielsa has isolated the entire group, even with the way he trains.”
What will Marcelo Bielsa do amid allegations?
There are two sides to every story. Suarez also stated that “many” players were not happy under the current regimen and that they have considered leaving the national team.
Bielsa’s record with Uruguay stands at 11-3-3. His accomplishments so far include beating Brazil and Argentina back-to-back in the same week during World Cup qualifying, finishing third in the Copa América after beating Brazil and host United States, and changing drastically the style of play of Uruguay from a conservative counter-attacking team to a progressive attacking unit.
Under Bielsa, Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez tripled his output with the national team in terms of goals scored, he discovered Maximiliano Araújo, and got a new lease on life from Nahitan Nández.
Bielsa has a contract with AUF until the 2026 FIFA World Cup; he earns $4 million annually. Firing him would mean the AUF would need to pay a huge clause. Bielsa has also not been shy in the past about resigning from a position if certain aspects were not met, as he did with Lazio.
According to Uruguayan journalist Julio Rios aside of the internal issues with the team, the other major factor that Bielsa is a “problem” is his $4M a year deal, and the fact that AUF is practically broke and can’t pay his contract.
Given his poor relationship with the press and public opinion split down the middle between himself and Luis Suarez, it remains to be seen whether Bielsa will cut his losses, as Suarez has indicated that more than one of the current players on the squad are not happy with the coach.
Uruguay is set to play the October window of World Cup qualifying away against Peru and at home against Ecuador, now under a huge storm cloud.